Like I said, the dipstick is useless.....

M7

To me,thats a huge design flaw.I have to guess at what my engine needs,if I get it wrong and think it's right then I put my engine through un needed wear and tear.The manual says 5 quarts,why are we using only 4? This is exactly the thing I hated about harleys,except that I always went by the dipstick on my deuce,and it was right.I dunno.

There was a service bulletin or something that came out a while back that updated the oil quantity to only 4qts.(4.3qt. actually I think). Most of us do like I said. Change the oil, put in 4 quarts and leave it be. It's worked like a charm for me and lots of others.

If you want the documentation on the oil quantity I'll see if I can dredge it up and send it to you. And I agree, a dipstick that doesn't actually work is a design flaw, IMHO. However, since the bikes aren't known for being prone to leaking oil it's not a huge problem. If you're roadie is losing oil you've got more problems than a faulty dipstick design!! It's not SOP for these bikes to do that.

Have a good ride,

M7

johann66 wrote:
To me,thats a huge design flaw.I have to guess at what my engine needs,if I get it wrong and think it's right then I put my engine through un needed wear and tear.The manual says 5 quarts,why are we using only 4? This is exactly the thing I hated about harleys,except that I always went by the dipstick on my deuce,and it was right.I dunno.

The manual says 5 quarts, that's the amount for a dry (new or rebuilt) engine. Your engine holds a quart or so in all the nooks and crannies even when you drain it. Yamaha came out with a service bulletin advising their techs to put in 1/2 quart less than the owners manual states to prevent an overfill situation which can lead to carbon build up on the exhaust valves. In other words four quarts max.

Service Bulletin

Thanks guys,I love my roadie and we'll get through this,she just told me to quit whining and ride her hard,it's been a rough honeymoon!

Please take this thread as humor but this is a good oil check thread ...Coug

http://roadstarclinic.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,187/func,view/id,32823/catid,14/

yep just did my second oil change at 600 miles.. 1 Gallon and she runs and sounds great.

you think two drain plugs is weird, check out the liners' [road & strat] they've got three

Cougar wrote:
Please take this thread as humor but this is a good oil check thread ...Coug

http://roadstarclinic.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,187/func,view/id,32823/catid,14/

Thats rich!

Just the nature of a Dry Sump system. There is an oil tank that holds oil and as oil is circulated oil is drawn out of the tank rather than from a pan at the bottom of the engine, hence the name dry sump as the pump is not sitting with its pick up in a pan. When draining the oil as many have mentioned it is best to start by draining the oil tank, make sure the dip stick is out to allow air to flow into the tank otherwise it is like the old straw and soda trick and nothing comes out. As far as I know the oil in the tank will not drain into the crank case unless the engine is running and that is really not a good way to get the oil out of the engine!!! After draining the tank, bike should be level when doing this not sitting on the side stand, I put a 2X4 and piece of 1/2" plywood under the side stand and it sits nearly level. I then open the drain plug near the left front floorboard mount and drain the engine while it drains I change out the filter and let both drain as long as a steady stream continues to flow. Then I replace the filter and then the drain plug. I then double check to make sure all plugs are back in place and tight, easy to forget to tighten them, and then put 2 quarts of oil in the tank. Start the engine and rev it a couple of times to move oil from the sump tank to the engine crank case. Shut it down and put in 2 more quarts, four total, replace the dipstick. This works well for me and hope it helps all here.